A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based at the University of Kentucky.
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Tuesday, June 02, 2015

Rural food desert forcing Wisconsin residents to go to Michigan, where state food stamps not valid

Losing its only grocery store last year not only cost residents of rural Hurley, Wisc., (City-Data map) about 30 jobs but also created a food desert, forcing many residents to travel long distances in state or to go across state lines to Michigan to buy food, Danielle Kaeding reports for Wisconsin Public Radio. Driving out of town to another grocery store can be difficult for
low-income residents, especially those who lack the money to pay for
gas or don't own a car. Plus, those on the Wisconsin,
Infants and Children Program—the state's food stamp program—can't use
those dollars out of state.

A spokesperson for a local food pantry said
WIC benefits have increased since the grocery store closed, Kaeding writes. That is
leading low-income residents to shop for groceries at local gas stations
and dollar stores, where the food is cheap but not always nutritious.

Officials in the town of 1,524 have twice applied for and failed to receive a $500,000 Economic Development Corporation grant for "seed money to encourage a developer in Michigan to invest $3.3 million in Hurley’s grocery store," Kaeding writes. Forcing residents to shop in Michigan is also hurting the state's economy, Mayor
Joe Pinardi said. He told Kaeding, "It’s $100,000 worth of sales tax revenue
that’s not created in Wisconsin because of a grocery store not being
there." (Read more)

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This blog generally follows traditional journalistic standards. It's not about opinions, though you may read one here occasionally. It's about facts that we think will be useful to rural journalists, non-rural journalists who do rural stories, and others interested in rural issues. We don't try to be provocative, so we don't generate as many comments as most blogs with the level of traffic we have, but we certainly invite comments -- and contributions, to al.cross@uky.edu. Feel free to republish blog items, with credit to us and the original source.